More about the game: Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect games are based on player choice, such that how your ME3 story goes depends on how you played the previous games. While ME3 provided different ending options for players, each option resulted in a similar story space, making the choices irrelevant.

How to address the problem 1: Retake ME3 Cupcake Campaign

The Cupcake campaign was a drive setup to send BioWare 402 cupcakes divided into three equal parts of green, blue, and red frost for the cupcakes. Despite the varieties, all the cupcakes tasted the same – Vanilla. This was a way for the gamers to express their dissatisfaction with the deceptive ending of the ME3 game, but in a sweet way to show that they still loved the games and were true fans and supporters.

The idea was proposed by a girl to make different types of donuts that taste the same, but to have greater visual variety, they proposed cupcakes that would have different frost colors with the letters A, B, and C on them. Sam, the organizer of the ME3 campaign, paid for the cupcakes out-of-pocket and then set up a crowdfunding drive on Chip In to recover the money.

In 30 minutes, the drive had raised over $1,100 for an expenditure of just over $1,000. So the crowdfunding campaign was stopped and the extra amount donated to a children’s charity.

How to address the problem 2: Retake Mass Effect Child’s Play

To begin with, Retake Mass Effect Child’s Play was a campaign set up on Chip In to raise $80,000 for a charity called Penny Arcade Child’s Play.

After a very helpful comment, we have updated this page:

Got some facts wrong man, first off it’s wasn’t set to raise $80,000 dollars, people hoped it was was a few hundred at best. People went nuts when they broke $100 $500…and it just didn’t stop. Eventually it reached $10,000 and shortly after it reached that mark someone donated $10,000 anonymously though many suspect Bioware or one of the voice actors involved in the project. I know Raphael Sbarge (Kaidan Alenko) and Kimberly Brooks (Ashley Williams) both retweeted their support of the donations (twas my tweets they retweeted), also Jessica Merizan one of Bioware Community Managers at the time retweeted the link and praised the results.

An insignificant number of people were confused, even if one tenth of the donations were refunded it would still have been an amount of money raised that was more than 1% of Child’s Play total fundraising for the previous year from all sources (I researched their financial reports to provide such encouraging statistics during the fundraiser)

However, a good number of the people who contributed to the cause thought that the funds would be used to change the ending of the ME3 game – and not support the charity – which raised quite a bit of confusion. Since the supporters were not sure what they were contributing to (a charity or game), they decided to get their money back.

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According to a blog post made by Shawn Powers after the flames had been extinguished, the house was still standing after the fire, supposedly because there wasn’t enough oxigen to keep the flames burning. The fire did a lot of damage to the electrical installations and the interior of the house, but the most tragic was the loss of all the family’s animals, counting four dogs and one cat. From the pictures posted online by Shawn Powers, the house was completely destroyed on the interior, while almost in pristine condition on the exterior, but there were several concerns that due to the damage of the internal structure of the house, it would have to be demolished and rebuilt.

Perhaps the most amazing and inspiring thing about this disaster was the help offered to the Powers family immediately after the incident. According to Shawn’s blog post, he and his family were offered multiple places to stay until they resolved the situation, the Red Cross organization tracked them down and gave them money for food and clothing, and the family had received many messages of support. All this was in addition to his colleagues’ ChipIn crowdfunding campaign.

The crowdfunding campaign managed to get over 2500 dollars in less than three hours, therefore proving that the Linux and the Open Source community is filled with generous individuals. Even though the Powers family did have insurance and were able to get the money needed to replace the property lost, the insurance money was not received until later on. The money from the crowdfunding campaign was used by the Powers family to purchase winter clothing and needed supplies.

While a disaster at its core, the situation the Powers family went through managed to prove that people are more generous than expected in helping complete strangers, and was a true testament to the effectiveness of online crowdfunding campaigns, being more efficient than the insurance companies in helping people through tough times.

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The voter fraud in Sutton came to light after entire families claimed to have voted for Ron Paul in that city, despite the candidate being given 0 votes. This led to the most vocal and dedicated group of Ron Paul supporters, the “Granny Warriors”, creating a ChipIn crowdfunding campaign, with the money intended to go towards a primary vote recount.

According to certain Ron Paul forums, the Granny Warriors were so dedicated to meet their goal that they were travelling throughout the country in an RV in order to ask people for donations.

The defunct Granny Warriors Recount site had the following message displayed:

“With all the strange events going on in the primary and with solid statements of actual fraud in NH everyone is calling for a recount which should be take care of by the Campaign staff but that isn’t going to happen it seems.
Therefore… we the Grassroots will fund our own recount for Dr. Paul.

Every cent will be put toward the recounting and we will just see if we can stir up enough attention to really get a good count now. Perhaps it will also give notice to other states not to mess with the counts.
Lets get this done before it is too late and facts and figures can be altered.”

This crowdfunding campaign came after Ron Paul had already raised 6 million dollars in 24 hours for his campaign, using online donations, marking the most successful online crowdfunding campaign at the time.

The monetary goal of the Granny Warriors Recount campaign was to get 65000 dollars, promising that every single cent would go into making sure that a primary vote recount would take place.

However, as ambitious as the campaign was, it did not have a happy ending. Ron Paul supporters managed to pool up over 55000 dollars, being only 10000 dollars short of their goal with one day remaining. To everyone’s surprise, that’s where the donations stopped abruptly, not one additional dollar coming. The reason for the sudden freeze? PayPal had mysteriously frozen the account, possibly because of the sudden influx of money coming into it.

Unfortunately for the Granny Warriors, the issue was not resolved on time, and the crowdfunding campaign ended unsuccessfully, therefore meaning that no primary recount took place.

The post The Granny Warriors Recount – Crowdfunding Campaign appeared first on ChipIn.

Officially, Hamas seeks to gain public support to gain international sympathies for their victimization and recruit terrorists. Internally, they teach extremism and anti-Semitism with the glorification of martyrdom and suicide to children in schools as they pursue the complete extermination of Jews.

Gaza War

Perhaps these are the ideologies that led to the Gaza War, also known as the Gaza Massacre – a 3-week armed conflict that took place between Palestinians and Israel in the Gaza Strip, between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009.

Israel attacked the densely populated cities of Rafah, Gaza, and Khan Yunis with the view to ceasing weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip and rocket fire into Israel, resulting in the deaths of between 1,166 and 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. It was considered a massacre.

Gaza Peace

After Alison Fast had spent some time at the core of the disaster, she realized that 99 percent of Palestinians were not terrorists. The vast majority of the population is stuck between two bad political options: Hamas (extremists) and Fatah (formerly led by Yasser Arafat). So, the Palestinians not only lack good options but also have to bear with the situation in the absence of basic rights or international support.

Gaza Peace Fund was formed to help Palestinians in Gaza find representation and protection against violations of human rights. Considering the potential of online news posts, video blogs, and social networking sites, Alison decided to raise funds to buy and send 50 Flip Cameras to the Organization B’Tselem that would then be delivered to civilians in Gaza.

At the time, B’Tselem had been operating a program called “Shooting Back” in the West Bank (occupied by Israel) for several years, monitoring human rights violations of Palestinians in the area by equipping 100 plus civilians with video cameras there.

With donations of $25 – $50 raised via the Chip In campaign dubbed “Gaza Media Aid Project”, Alison would facilitate the program to get cameras into Gaza, as well. The publicity would allow the world to recognize the humanitarian crisis and the potential escalation of violence that destabilizes the entire region, giving rise to more extremist behavior.

With video footage from events in Gaza, Alison hoped to get the international community involved so they could provide Palestinians with new and better alternatives. Continued violence against the civilian population would only promote extremist behavior.

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ChipIn technology comprised a nifty crowdfunding widget, rather than a platform, that allowed campaigners to post a badge on their website or Facebook page so they could get their supporters to contribute funds for a selected cause or event. Users could start fundraising campaigns for all kinds of events, from charitable projects, like raising money for a cause, to private events, like pooling funds for a wedding ceremony.

ChipIn Funding

In the period between January 2006 and January 2010, ChipIn had managed to raise a total of $6.16 million equity funding in 3 rounds from 3 investors. The then Honolulu-based firm received its seed funding in early 2006 from CommerceNet, followed by a $5 million Series B funding from both Global Venture Capital and Polaris Partners in June 2008.

The firm launched its Web service in November 2006, while the Facebook app that used PayPal’s engine was launched in June the following year, 2007. At first, ChipIn operated as a full-service payments company, holding and managing funds for their users. But after facing a lot of challenges, the company outsourced all PayPal related payments.

How it works

Although ChipIn was more of a crowdfunding tool than a platform, users were still required to create a ChipIn account. To create the widget, users were prompted to provide the name of the project; the fundraising target; the date when the campaign would close; and the PayPal account email address.

Users could then add the widget to their website, blog, and social networking sites, including MySpace, NetVibes, WordPress, Blogger, and much more. The appeal of this crowdfunding tool was how easy it made collecting money from supporters.

To create the Chipin widget on Facebook, users needed to select a Facebook event, set the fundraising goal, and then personalize the text and colors of the widget. To contribute, supporters clicked on the “chip in” button to launch a PayPal window, input the amount to pay, and then log in to PayPal to complete the transaction. There was a progress bar on the widget to indicate progress towards the goal.

The only charges associated with ChipIn were the fees charged by PayPal for handling the financial transaction. Funds were processed as they were received, with zero waiting times associated with the “all-or-nothing” model.

Impactful Campaigns included:

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support
Retake Mass Effect Childs Play
Clyde Stubblefield
Café Racer Love
Ed Hale goes to Iran
Gaza Media Aid Project
Susanna Schick Hit and Run Fund

The Future of ChipIn.com

We are excited to announce that the platform will be ready for relaunch soon, so stay tuned for more information!

The post ChipIn.com history – Crowdfunding Campaigns in the past appeared first on ChipIn.

Besides the 14 delegates, there were another 13 people in the group going to Iran, including:

During the two-week tour of Iran, the group traveled to the major cities of Shiraz, Esfahan, Tehran, and Qom, holding formal meetings with the nation’s ruling government and religious leaders in an unparalleled move since the Islamic revolution – about 3 decades ago – to discuss relations between the two countries – the United States and Iran.

The delegates also visited learning institutions (schools and universities) and media houses (TV, newspaper, and radio stations) to advocate for more peace, solidarity, and harmony between the people of the two nations.

The Ed Hale goes to Iran Chip In Crowdfunding Campaign

In addition to being the lead singer in the Transcendence rock band, Ed Hale is also recognized for his outspoken peace and human rights activism and volunteer work across the globe. Just before he was chosen for the Iran trip, Ed has traveled to Africa for a 2-week home building initiative with Habitat for Humanity.

The previous year, he had made two separate trips to the Gulf Coast to help rebuild the homes for Hurricane Katrina victims in Mississippi (Biloxi). As for his music career, his band was preparing to launch two new albums the following year: “All Your Heroes Become Villains” and “The Great Mistake”.

To finance his trip to Iran, Hale turned to the Chip In platform and widget to create a crowdfunding campaign. Using Chip In, MySpace, and the band’s fanbase, Ed encouraged fans and friends to donate anything they wanted to and help spread the word via comments.

The Chip In widget was useful in tracking the progress of the campaign in real-time, allowing Hale to access how much money was being collected, read comments from fans across the globe, and watch the funds grow.

In exchange for the support, Hale created a blog to post reports of events in Iran. In addition, he planned to attend different events in the US to speak about the experience. He also shared his experiences via press interviews and TV reports.

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Born in 1943, Clyde suffered kidney failure in July 2009 and started weekly dialysis treatment. Exactly one year later, an alliance of Clyde’s supporters from all music genres was formed to raise awareness of a new, safe, and simple means established for donating financial aid directly to Clyde.

At 67, Stubblefield had already overcome bladder cancer, was still fighting diabetes, and now needed to undergo kidney dialysis treatment for life. Despite his troubling medical health, Clyde has remained optimistic and even continues to perform his music.

The fundraising campaign – “Give The Drummer Some!”

The Coalition for Clyde Stubblefield started a donation campaign dubbed “Give The Drummer Some!” to provide Clyde with some financial relief through the process. Through the Chip In platform, all the funds collected were safely and securely funneled to Clyde directly via PayPal without any intermediaries.

The Coalition worked hard to reach as many people as they could by placing the Chip In Coalition was essentially an alliance of artists and other individuals in the music industry to support Clyde by raising awareness of the fundraising campaign. It was founded by drummers Johnny Rabb, David Stanoch, and Stanton Moore (member of Galactic band in New Orleans), who share a deep respect for Clyde’s musical innovations as reflected in their own style of playing and advocated in their teaching duties.

The drummers believe that the innovations and contributions of Stubblefield to shaping America’s cultural landscape cannot be quantified, and are often overlooked. His powerful funk with James Brown influenced many artists who could not resist using his grooves as the basis for creating their own music, yet his contributions went unrecognized and uncompensated. In forming The Coalition, the drummers hoped to rally artists across the industry to not only support Clyde during this process but also show him the reverence he deserves.

The Coalition – Crowdfunding Campaign

The Coalition founders were able to reach out and gain the support of esteemed artists and other personalities in the industry to spread the word, including Steve Jordan, Butch Vig, Andy Newmark, Richard Davis, Mike Clark, Jab’o Starks, Zigaboo Modeliste, Adam Deitch, and Hannah Ford, among others.

These heavy-hitters helped to get the people’s attention and give Clyde the opportunity to feel the affection of everyone whose life he has touched as they come together for his sake.

The post Clyde Stubblefield – Drumming Legend Kidney – Crowdfunding Campaign appeared first on ChipIn.

However, the police claimed that the incident involving the 42-year old woman and the driver of a white Lexus was not a road rage Hit-and-Run as earlier alleged. Rather, Lt. Paul Vernon of the LAPD argued that the experienced cyclist fell down on her bicycle. According to the lieutenant, there were many inconsistencies with the case that led them to conclude that there was no crime.

Events leading to the accident

According to a report given to BlogDowntown by the Lt. Vernon, the first sequence of events of the night of the incident is not in dispute. Susanna, nicknamed Pinky Racer, was cycling down Spring Street on Friday night at around 11.30 pm when a car backed out of a garage and swerved into the green bike lane.

The report gave a contradictory series of events that followed, stating that Susanna pedaled up to the vehicle, hit the side view mirror, and even yelled at the driver and passenger who quickly rolled up their windows. According to the statement recorded by Schick, she was not hit by the car. However, her friend, Jennifer Beatty, argued that it was a “physical improbability” that the extent of damage to the rear wheel of the bike could occur without a collision when interviewed by various media outlets.

Another blogger claims that what Beatty refers to as a “bike taco” was actually a fairly minor bend on the rear wheel. Besides the damage to her bicycle, Susanna suffered a concussion that could have affected her ability to recall the events of that night.

Another version of the story claims that no witnesses had come forward. However, the report given by BlogDowntown claimed that there were two officers who witnessed the incident, and they remember seeing Schick riding her bike for other 1-2 blocks before she wobbled and fell over right after the car had turned right. In other words, the police said there was no collision with the car, and Susanna simply wobbled and tumbled off her bike: something that Beatty continued to disagree with, claiming that the road is fairly smooth with no obstacles or drains to cause such an accident.

The Chip In Fund

Susanna was admitted at USC County Hospital from a broken collarbone, three pelvic fractures, six broken ribs, facial lacerations, and a concussion. It is a good thing she was wearing a helmet when the accident occurred.

Schick’s friends decided to create a Chip In fund on Sunday to help cater for the medical expenses and had managed to raise over $5,200 in a matter of days.

The post Susanna Schick Hit and Run Fund – Crowdfunding Campaign appeared first on ChipIn.

JEARS is a collaboration of three registered, no-kill animal-rescue non-profit-organizations (NPOs) in Japan, namely:

The four founders and their groups put aside their own challenges to create JEARS with the view to coordinate rescue and support efforts for animals affected by the March 11 earthquake and Tsunami in Northern Japan. Even before then, these groups had been working tirelessly to not only rescue animals affected by different tragedies but also re-home them.

JEARS also supported the shelters that provide long-term care for the increasingly growing number of animals rescued.

JEARS Media played a role in organizing donations, food, and supplies that were critically needed, in addition to providing volunteer searches, logistical support, and adoption outreach.

Impact of the Initiative

Pets are not permitted in human evacuation shelters, plus there is no government or public-funded initiative to support these animals. Rather than abandon their pets to take advantage of the warmth of human evacuation shelters, many survivors opted to find shelter elsewhere as long as they stayed with their kids and animals. Some slept in their vehicles while others sought shelter under tarps near the damaged buildings.

With the nearby stores either heavily damaged or closed, JEARS stepped in to provide the evacuees and their traumatized pets with pet food, crates, cat litter, and first aid assistance – things that were priceless at that time. JEARS worked hard to recover traumatized dogs and animals from their destroyed or damaged homes and reunite them with their families or place them in shelters.

JEARS also rented a nearby warehouse to host the excess animals rescued, and opened a “Lost Pet” website in Japanese for pet owners to post their missing animals online. This information was necessary to help rescuers find the owners of the pets they took in.

Other pet owners in areas outside the main quake area also requested nearby animal shelters to harbor their cats and dogs as they evacuated in fear of another earthquake arising.

The post Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support – Crowdfunding Campaign appeared first on ChipIn.

The proceeds of the campaign were awarded to the surviving spouses, family members, lone survivors, Len, and his family, as well as Café Racer to help rebuild it.

Any remaining funds were to be used to establish a living memorial for the Café Racer shooting victims and scholarships in their names.

Memorial Fund for Victims of the Café Racer Shooting

Donations to the general fund benefiting all affected by the shooting were received via multiple avenues, including:

Chip In: The Chip In campaign closed on 1st September 2012, with all proceeds directed to the entities mentioned above.

Chase Bank: Supporters wishing to donate to the victims of the Café Racer Shooting Memorial Fund could also do so by visiting any Chase Bank across the country

Donald B. Largen Memorial Trust Fund: Supporters wishing to honor the memory of the 57-year old saxophone player and urban planner and support his partner and sweetheart for 22 years, Glenn, were allowed to do so specifically by donating to the Donald B. Largen Memorial Trust Fund via any Bank of America.

Joe Albanese Memorial Fund: There was also a fund dedicated to the memory of Joe Albanese “Vito”, so those wishing to donate in his honor could do so by visiting any Wells Fargo Bank and giving to the Joe Albanese Memorial Fund.

Kimberly Lynn Layfield Memorial Fund: An individual account held by bank of America was also established for Kim Layfield. Supporters wishing to give in Kim’s memory could do so by contributing to the Kimberly Lynn Layfield Memorial Fund via any Bank of America branch. Alternatively, contributors could donate online in honor of Layfield Kim to the humane society in Albany, GA, her hometown.

Memorial Funds and Donations for Gloria: To contribute in honor of Gloria Leonidas, the victim of the eight and Seneca shooting, supporters could either give to the various charities in her name and/or contribute to the education fund set up for her daughters.

Donations were welcome in any amount via Chip In or the separate funds created for the shooting victims to help cater for the treatment of the survivor, funeral expenses of the departed, and support the surviving family members.

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